Take a Chance on Me
by siberia88
Summary: YaoiShonen ai. AtobexTezuka pairing. Atobe had his eyes set on a certain Seigaku’s tennis club captain. However, his admires didn’t approve. . . and decided to take matters into their own hand. . . Slight Tezuka torture.
1. Default Chapter

Take a Chance on Me  
  
Summary: Yaoi/Shonen ai. AtobexTezuka pairing. Atobe had his eyes set on a certain Seigaku's tennis club captain. However, his admires didn't approve. . . and decided to take matters into their own hand. . . Slight Tezuka torture.  
  
// . . . // - For thoughts.  
  
Part 1:  
  
"You can go now." A cool voice said calmly looking down at the boy that's still panting slightly and totally naked by his feet.  
  
"Senpai, Atobe Senpai," the 2nd year student glanced at Atobe with his large, brown eyes, "When can we do this again?"  
  
"When I wanted to." The expression on Atobe's face clearly said that he was bored.  
  
"But senpai," the boy started whining, a sound which made Atobe's face cringe, "senpai I want to see you again soon. . . "  
  
"Be quiet!" Atobe couldn't help it but raised his voice slightly. "Don't talk so much, and don't open your eyes too wide, and. . . "  
  
Before Atobe could finish however, the 2nd year student started crying.  
  
"And for god's sake, don't cry!"  
  
"Why??" Trying to stiffen his crying, the boy asked with trembled lips, "You had me changed the style of my glasses, dyed my hair chestnut brown, and now you want me to be quiet & unemotional, are you trying to make me into somebody else?"  
  
Atobe was quiet for a second. Hm. . . Good question. Maybe. He had to give points for this 2nd year that he picked up a few days ago for being observant. And actually had the guts to say it to him. What's this boy's name again? Terada or something like that? Not that it matters.  
  
"You can get lost now." Atobe picked up the discarded clothing on the floor and threw it on his now "ex"-lover's face. "And I won't be seeing you again."  
  
As if on cue, the door opened. Oshitari walked in with Gakuto. "Tsk, doing it in the tennis club room? Oh please, Atobe, I thought you're better than that?" Oshitari said.  
  
The boy quickly pulled up his trousers. With tears in his eyes, he dashed out of the tennis club room.  
  
"You seemed to like boys a lot lately, huh?" Gakuto suddenly asked.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Atobe raised a slight brow.  
  
"Well, don't get me wrong. I know you have a HUGE group of admirers who practically throw themselves at your feet." Gakuto grinned, "but didn't you always slept with both males & females? And I thought mostly women. . . However since we came back from our last match with Seigaku, you seemed to be only interested in guys."  
  
"And not just any guys," Oshitari joined the conversation, "You seemed to prefer guys with glasses, has brown hair, and if my hearings is correct, you want your lover to be quiet & unemotional as well. . . ?"  
  
"Geez~ I wonder who that is??" Gakuto threw his tennis partner a side glance and grinned, "It sounds familiar. . . if I can only pin point it down. . . "  
  
"Well, you guys have fun speculating." Atobe shrugged as if the conversation just now meant nothing to him, "I'm going to shower and go home."  
  
X X X  
  
"Damn it!" Atobe cursed walking down the streets. Damn Gakuto & Oshitari for being so observant. Like what he, Atobe, the king of Hyotei did or had in mind was any of their business.  
  
Yes, he had been having strange feelings ever since the last match with Seigaku. He couldn't get rid of the image of a certain someone. A certain someone who wore glasses, have chestnut brown hair, calm. . . always so calm and even expressionless when in pain. . . and almost beat him in tennis. No, would have beaten him in tennis if not given the circumstances. And beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful.  
  
"Oh my god, I must be loosing it. I can't believe I just think that. . . " Atobe murmured. He is Atobe, the god of Hyotei. He was admired for both his skills AND looks. The thought that there's another man equally strong in tennis AND good looking just didn't, and shouldn't exist. But he encountered this man that he thought didn't exist just a few weeks ago.  
  
Atobe had been thinking about that match a lot. He had only realized that he was thinking about his opponent in a very different light when he demanded the 3rd lover he had picked up to dye the hair chestnut brown. Since when did he care about what his lover looks like? There were so many of them for him to choose. If he got bore with the way his current lover looks, his resolve was to take another lover that interested him. Then he realized why he tried to make all of his lovers changed. . . he had a picture of how a perfect lover should look in his mind. . . A man that's both graceful and elegant. A man that could match him soul against soul.  
  
"Tezuka Kunitmitsu. . . "  
  
X X X  
  
Part 2:  
  
"Yeah! The practice is over." Eiji bounced up and down. "Oishi, let's go let's go let's go!!"  
  
"I'm coming, Eiji." Oishi packed his racket. "See you guys later." He was about to leave when he saw a person standing in front of their tennis court.  
  
"Hey Eiji, I thought you are coming, why. . . ?" Eiji stopped in his track as well.  
  
Noticing the strange behaviors of the golden pair, the rest of the Seigaku regular looked up and they saw the reason. A very big reason.  
  
"Pssssss. . . " Kaido made a hissing sound.  
  
"Atobe. . . What are you doing here?" Momoshiro asked, his voice laced with dislike. After all, this was the guy that caused them to have to practice without their captain lately.  
  
"Nice slam dunk just now." Atobe commented with a lazy smile. "But you really should jump a bit higher. . . if you want me to show you what a perfect slam dunk looks like, I could, you know. . . "  
  
Momoshiro rolled his eyes. Yeah, this guy is always so full of himself!  
  
"I think we can practice on our own." Oishi interrupted, "What is your business here today?"  
  
It was unusual for Oishi to speak this way. Such cold tone. It's almost . . . rude . . . for Oishi. But nobody blamed him since Oishi was Tezuka's friends since 1st year, and he was the one that accompanied Tezuka to the doctor's visits, and hell he knew how much care & effort it was to restore Tezuka's arm. . . and this guy just ruined all the efforts!  
  
"Such manners. . . Is Tezuka here?" The smile was gone.  
  
Slightly taken back by the question, Oishi paused for a second before answering with a question of his own, "Why are you looking for Tezuka?"  
  
//That has nothing to do with you. I want to court him.// Those were the two answers that came in mind for Atobe, but he doubt Oishi would do well with either one of them, so he settled for, "I have some things that I wish to discuss with him, concerning the tennis club of course."  
  
"Well, you can tell me since I'm the vice president." Oishi said.  
  
"Nah, I would rather discuss with the president. . . "  
  
Atobe's insistence to find Tezuka raised more suspicion. Almost like a mother bird protecting her offspring, Oishi crossed his arms and demanded, "No, you can speak with me. . . "  
  
"What's the problem?" A deep voice asked from behind.  
  
Atobe felt like his blood had just frozen. //Gosh, I'm Atobe. I don't get excited simply because I hear a voice. Get a grip!// Slowly turning around, he saw the object of his desire standing right in front of him.  
  
"Tezuka. . . " Atobe felt that he must be grinning like an idiot but he couldn't help it. There, the image of perfect. . . From head to toe, beautiful. . .  
  
"Yes, Atobe?" Tezuka asked in his usual stoic way, "What is it that you need to discuss with me?"  
  
"A group of professional tennis players is coming to Hyotei to give instructions and training this Saturday. I would like to invite Seigaku's regulars to come over as well."  
  
Tezuka thought for a moment. Hiring professionals to give instructions was a very expensive thing that Seigaku simply could not afford. It would be beneficial for Seigaku's regulars if they could receive some advice from professionals.  
  
//Come on, come on, take the bait.//  
  
"Why is Hyotei having the professionals come at this time?" Tezuka asked.  
  
Atobe clearly heard the real question behind.  
  
"You don't think we would just sit around and let you guys beat us again next year, do you?" Atobe answered, "and I thought it would be more fun to invite you guys to come and received an instruction session as well, just so that you know you'll be flatten next year."  
  
"You're just trying to show off. . . " Eiji was cut off by Atobe before he could finish.  
  
"Maybe I am, but it's still a good opportunity." Atobe looked straight at Tezuka, "It will be a good way to prepare Seigaku before the next match."  
  
"Ok, we will be there." Tezuka finally made the decision.  
  
"Great, see you guys at 9:00a.m." Atobe tried fruitlessly to stop his grinning. He was sure that his grin will bring out his handsome feature even more anyway. He gave a little wave and left.  
  
If only he heard what Eiji and the others said behind his back. "It was rather scary the way that guy kept grinning!!"  
  
Part 3:  
  
It was 1p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Shouts and other noises could be heard from the tennis courts at Hyotei. Pairs of players had been working out good sweat the whole morning.  
  
Atobe found the person he was looking for seating under a bench, looking at the training sessions that had been going on. He walked towards the figure and quietly sat down beside him.  
  
Tezuka gave him a slight nod.  
  
"Hey, don't I at least get a greeting?" Atobe joked. His smile was gone in an instance when he noticed Tezuka's right hand was clutching tightly around the left elbow.  
  
The image of Tezuka kneeling on the ground, right hand clutching his left shoulder and his beautiful features contorting in pain suddenly appeared in Atobe's mind. HE was the reason behind it. He had caused the captain of Seigaku to sit here watching his teammates play instead of joining them.  
  
"You must hate me." Atobe said in a very quiet voice.  
  
If Tezuka was surprised at hearing that, his facial expression certainly show nothing of it. However, he did turn his face slightly towards Atobe.  
  
"You hate me, right?" Atobe could not bring himself to look into those eyes. "I purposely hurt you. In the last match."  
  
"It was a good match." Tezuka said after a long silence. "I don't hate you."  
  
"I'm sorry." The words slipped his tongue before he knew it. He could tell this time that Tezuka's eyes widen ever so slightly in surprise. Atobe himself was even more surprised. He had done worse things before and felt no remorse. But he felt that he had to apologize to this individual here.  
  
"Hn." That was Tezuka's response.  
  
Though uncertain if that's Tezuka's way of accepting an apology, Atobe felt much better.  
  
"Hey, do you have plans for tomorrow?" Atobe asked. Before Tezuka could even answer, he continued, "I have tickets to the worldwide championship that's currently holding in Tokyo, why don't we go together?"  
  
"Wouldn't you want to go with a Hyotei regular?"  
  
"Nah," Atobe shrugged, "How about it?" He tried to hide the eagerness but he didn't think he was doing a very good job under Tezuka's scrutiny.  
  
"Thank you," Tezuka thought after a while, "but I have an exam coming up on Monday, so I think I would stay at home to study."  
  
"But. . . "  
  
"I think Eiji is calling for me. Excuse me, Atobe."  
  
With that, Tezuka left Atobe along on the bench.  
  
Atobe bowed his head. He was glad he is alone right now. He didn't think he could take anybody seeing him this way. He had never tried to ask anyone out and being turned down. (Not seriously anyway). He had practiced his lines for ages last night, and had gone through great deal of connections to get the tennis championships' tickets. Only to be rejected.  
  
//Oh well, everything has its first.// Atobe looked at the tore tickets he threw on the ground. //I just had to try harder.// He got up and walked towards the tennis court.  
  
Unknown to him, there was a small frame hiding behind the bushes, who had listened to every word of their conversations.  
  
TBC. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was a peaceful Sunday afternoon. Blue sky, with a light breeze in the air.  
  
Hyotei's regulars had just finished their afternoon practice and were hanging around to chit-chat a bit.  
  
"Atobe, I thought you were going to the tennis championship game this afternoon?" Shisido asked.  
  
"Changed my mind." Atobe answered, a bit annoyed at the question. He did not wish to be reminded of the rejection earlier.  
  
"Eh? Why? I thought you were looking forward to it?" Choutaro asked in surprise.  
  
"Maybe he got turned down by his date. . . " Oshitari snickered.  
  
Atobe gave both of them a glare that delivered a clear message: the discussion on this topic was closed.  
  
"No need to be so touchy. . ." Oshitari smiled, "By the way, Atobe, did you remember the 2nd year student called Tareda?"  
  
Atobe threw him a bored look: Who do you think I am? Am I suppose to know let alone remember a guy called Tareda?  
  
"Looks like you don't have the slightest idea. . . Not that it's surprising. . ." Oshitari continued, "He is the guy you were screwing in tennis club last weekend I think. . . or was it just a few nights ago?"  
  
"Oh ok," Atobe tried to recall what did that guy look like, but failing. "Yeah, what's up with him?"  
  
"Well, it seemed like he actually had some connections with gangsters. I saw him with a group of yakuza looking people this morning. . . Overheard them saying that they are going to 'teach somebody a lesson'. 'Beat the person to pulp' at some old abandoned tennis court is the more exact version of their plan." Oshitari said, "Do you think the target is you? Maybe he is angry at being dumped by his dear senpai."  
  
"Oh please~ As if they would dare to do anything to me." Atobe shrugged. He was from an influential family who had good connection with the most powerful yakuza in the area.  
  
"Yeah, I know you have background." Oshitari sighed, "I don't think their target is you anyway. They mentioned they are going to revenge against a guy who had seduced Tereda's lover. I don't think you have been doing that lately. . ."  
  
"Why in the world then did you even bring this up as it has nothing to do with me?"  
  
"I was trying to see if you will actually get worried over your own safety for once." Oshitari grinned.  
  
"This Tareda guy sure found a new love interest quick." Gakuto remarked absentmindedly, "I thought he just broke up with Atobe less than a week ago."  
  
THAT suddenly gave Atobe a bad feeling.  
  
"What did you just say?" He asked.  
  
"Huh?" Gakuto looked at Atobe, "I mean, a few days is very little time to find a new lover then get dumped and planned for revenge, don't you think? Of course, it may be different in your world, Atobe."  
  
"CRAB!" Atobe abruptly stood up and started running towards the gate.  
  
"What's wrong? Where are you going? Atobe? Atobe?" All the Hyotei's regulars stared at him incredulously.  
  
Atobe didn't even hear them calling him. He just hoped that his gut feeling was wrong.  
  
X X X X X X X  
  
"WHERE IS TEZUKA?"  
  
Oishi had a surprise of his life when he was suddenly grabbed by the collar and the question was roared against his ears.  
  
"What. . .?" It took him a minute to realize who was in front of him. "Atobe?" The captain of Hyotei looked like he just ran a hundred laps.  
  
"Hey, stop that." Eiji who had been gaping finally came to his senses and tried to break off Atobe from Oishi.  
  
"TELL ME WHERE TEZUKA IS THIS INSTANCE!!"  
  
"Or what? Face death? Geez~" Momoshiro joined in.  
  
Atobe wanted to scream. Why aren't they listening to him? And why are they always together? He was surprised when it was Fuji that came to his rescue.  
  
"Why don't you release Oishi, Atobe?" The smiling tensai calmly requested, "tell us what's wrong."  
  
Knowing he was not going to get his answer without answering some questions first, Atobe released Oishi's collar reluctantly and tried to calm down his breathings. He had ran all the way here.  
  
"A few students at Hyotei, who had connections with gangsters, might be targeting Tezuka, I'm afraid."  
  
"Targeting Tezuka? But why?" Momoshiro asked in disbelief. "That guy lost to you, what more do they want?"  
  
Atobe couldn't tell them the true reason; that it was because of him. His careless and thoughtless affairs had caused this. He closed his eyes briefly and came up with a reason concealing the truth, "They are my admirers. . . and they can get pretty crazy sometimes. You know how admirations go. . . when it turned into obsessions and more. Anyway, they have this strange notion that many people view my winning over Tezuka as unfair as he was injured. . . I guess they were angry that people are saying I took advantage of the situation. . ."  
  
"What? But you DID!" Momoshiro exclaimed. "And they are blaming Tezuka for being injured AND blaming Tezuka for you taking advantage of his injury?"  
  
"Yeah, weird isn't it?" Atobe almost wanted to laugh, "that's the logic."  
  
"Alright, we have to find Tezuka. Oishi, called Tezuka's cell phone first." Fuji opened his eyes briefly, revealing the sharp orbs behind.  
  
/The number you dial is not receiving calls right now./ Oishi ended the call and turned to his teammates, "His cell phone is not turned on."  
  
"Why don't we spread out to look for Tezuka?" Eiji suggested.  
  
"Good idea." They all agreed and were walking in different directions. Atobe was the last person to left Seigaku. He wasn't familiar with all the places Tezuka normally would go, so Oishi assigned him to check out Tezuka's home.  
  
"Give me a call if anyone find him, ok?"  
  
XXXXXXXXX  
  
The traffic in Tokyo was bad. It took Atobe almost an hour to locate the neighborhood. None of the Seigaku regulars had given him a call during this time.  
  
"Maybe they already found Tezuka and he is ok. they just didn't think it would be important enough to give me a call." Atobe thought, "Damn them all!"  
  
But the unsettling feelings deep down was telling him something else.  
  
Tezuka Residence.  
  
Atobe was finally there. Raising a finger to ring the door bell, his palm was suddenly wet with sweat.  
  
Nobody answered the door. After waiting for a few minutes, he pressed the door bell again. And again. Getting more agitated every passing minutes.  
  
"Tezuka Residency." A deep voice answered over the speaker just as he was about to give up.  
  
"Tezuka!" Atobe was so relieved to hear that voice. Tezuka was ok!!  
  
Getting a grip on himself now that his worse fear was over, he used what he hoped was his normal, seductive voice, "Hey Tezuka, it's me. Atobe."  
  
There was long pause before the gate slowly opened, and Tezuka walked to the gate.  
  
"Hi." Followed by a brief nod.  
  
It was almost 6 p.m. now so it wasn't very bright outside, but he can still see Tezuka. //He looked ok.// The first thing he checked was Tezuka's arms. //It wasn't broken.// He was relief. Maybe Oshitari heard it wrong. Maybe they had meant to beat up some other guy, not HIS Tezuka.  
  
Atobe then realized Tezuka was still waiting for him.  
  
"Well, I just decided to pay you a visit. See where you live and stuff." Atobe lied. He knew the Seigaku's regulars were going to tell Tezuka about it tomorrow anyway, but that's ok, at least they would be laughing behind his back, not right in front of his face. Although he seriously doubted that Tezuka would burst into laughter even if he did tell him that he, Atobe, had been searching frantically for him, was almost scared out of his pants thinking Tezuka might be in danger.  
  
Tezuka looked at him for a moment before inviting him in.  
  
Following Tezuka through a long corridor, he was surprised that Tezuka did not turned on the main light. He had no problem seeing where he was going in the dim light, but that seemed a bit strange to him.  
  
"Tezuka. . ."  
  
Before Atobe could ask the question, Tezuka answered, "I have been studying for the whole afternoon. The bright light will hurt my eyes right now."  
  
"Oh ok." Atobe nodded in understanding and followed Tezuka. The younger man carried a fresh scent with him. //He must have just showered. He smells so good. . .// The Duan- Juan side of him was starting to imagine any possibilities between him and the stoic Seigaku captain.  
  
"Here, have some tea."  
  
"Oh, thank you Tezuka." Atobe smiled and was about to accept the offered tea when something caught his eyes. Ever so slightly, Tezuka's hands were trembling. The shaking would have been invisible to normal eyes, but Atobe had the eyes that could see through a lot of things.  
  
Slowly accepting the tea, Atobe walked towards the windows. "Hey, let's turn on the light!" Without giving Tezuka any chance to object, his hand dashed out as if trying to save a slam dunk, and flipped the switch.  
  
Nothing could hide under the bright lights. He saw.  
  
Bruises, on Tezuka's left cheek bone.  
  
Split lips.  
  
Letting his eyes scrolled down further, he saw a set of thumb prints on Tezuka's pale neck, as if somebody had tried to choke him dead earlier. And. . . what was that?  
  
Atobe's eyes widen. Unable to believe what he just seen, he reached out to grab Tezuka's chin, trying to tilt his face so that he could get a better view of Tezuka's exposed neck.  
  
"LET GO OF ME!"  
  
It was a violent reaction. Tezuka shoved Atobe away from him until Atobe slammed into the opposite wall. Atobe's back hurt but his body couldn't even feel the pain. His mind had gone numb.  
  
Those were bite marks on Tezuka's neck.  
  
Bite marks. The violent reaction to a light touch. The shower. It all made sense now.  
  
"They raped you."  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

"You can leave now."  
  
Complete silence fell between them.  
  
Atobe stared at Tezuka in disbelief. There was no expression on Tezuka's face. He looked more like a statue than a real human being. Deprived of any feelings or expressions.  
  
An irrational rage flared up in Atobe. //You can leave now.// What was that supposed to mean? Not a statement denying what Atobe said was true, nor a statement confirming if that indeed happened, but a statement clearly indicating anything that happened to him, Tezuka, had nothing to do with Atobe.  
  
"Are you asking me to just go away? Leave you alone? Is that all you have to say?" Fueled by anger, Atobe pushed himself off the wall and walked towards Tezuka.  
  
Tezuka merely looked at him in disinterest and turned to leave.  
  
Atobe reached out to grab him.  
  
There was a brief struggle before both of them fell onto the floor, with Atobe on top of Tezuka. Although both men were on the same level when it came to physical endurance in playing tennis, Tezuka had a more slender built than Atobe, which gave him the disadvantage when one man was trying to hold the other down. Using his weight as leverage, Atobe effectively had Tezuka pinned underneath him.  
  
Capturing Tezuka's both wrists over his head in one hand, Atobe used the other hand to tore open Tezuka's shirt.  
  
//Don't even think that you can turn me away as some busy body. If you won't tell me, I will just have to find out myself.//  
  
Atobe gasped at what was revealed to his eyes.  
  
There were more bruises on Tezuka's pale torso. //They used more than their fists to hit him.// Atobe's fingers tightened around Tezuka's wrists unconsciously. There were also more bite marks. Not the type left by lovers in passion; these were placed to bring pain and humiliation to the receiver.  
  
A bang of pain hit Atobe. //I can't believe they did this to you, Tezuka.//  
  
In his shock and anguish, Atobe didn't notice the body below him had gone completely motionless.  
  
**  
  
It was a nightmare. Just woke up and everything would be ok.  
  
Tezuka had repeatedly told himself.  
  
What should have been a normal Sunday afternoon, just like any other afternoons, turned out to be the beginning of an unending nightmare.  
  
He didn't even know any of them. A group of how many? Five? Six? Or was it more?  
  
He had tried to block out the images of what happened. Tried to stay behind his mask of calmness, hoping he would wake up soon and found it all to be a dream. He almost believed it. After all, Atobe wouldn't come to visit him in reality now, would he?  
  
But then Atobe said something that was too close to the truth he was trying to avoid. And now being pinned down underneath another man, memories rushed back like waves hitting shores.  
  
Pairs of hands on him, forcing him down, holding him in place. Images of men, attacking him. He couldn't fight back. There were pain everywhere and no escape. He only wanted to be left alone, but the gods must have been taking a nap in the lazy afternoon for his wish was not granted and the torture continued. Evil laughter rang around his ears.  
  
White hot pain exploded and Tezuka felt his last grasp on reality was lost.  
  
**  
  
Atobe finally realized something was wrong.  
  
The body beneath him was too still. The chest that he had been staring at had not been moving up and down. Tezuka's eyes were still opened but he was not seeing anything. He was not in the same world with Atobe but reliving in the world of nightmare. Worst of all, He. Was. Not. Breathing.  
  
"TEZUKA!" Atobe screamed.  
  
//Panic attack// Those two words flashed through Atobe's mind.  
  
"Tezuka, BREATH!" Atobe shook the limp body in his arms.  
  
There was no response, and Tezuka's expressionless face was turning purple.  
  
"Stay with me!" Atobe bent down and their lips touched. He had dreamed about this moment, but never had he imagined that their first kiss would be he delivering CPR to a Tezuka that's not breathing.  
  
"You ~ Huff ~ Start ~ Huff~ Breathing ~ Huff ~ This ~ Huff ~ Minute~" Atobe said in between delivering oxygen.  
  
There was no response from Tezuka.  
  
//His lips are so soft.// Even while frantically trying to save the other's life, he could still hear a strange inner voice of his commenting. //Too bad you are going to lost him. Enjoy the kiss while you can. Savor it.//  
  
"I'm not going to lost you." Atobe began pumping Tezuka's chest.  
  
"You still need to beat me in tennis! You still need to bring Seigaku to the National Championship!" Atobe could feel his blood going cold. There's only so long a person could be alive without breathing.  
  
"Please~" It came out as a choked whisper. "Come back."  
  
His pleading might have reached Tezuka, because the next thing he heard was coughing and the chest started moving again.  
  
TBC 


	4. Chapter 4

Atobe didn't even realize his fingers had been shaking so badly until he found that he couldn't dial the phone numbers for ambulance. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down.  
  
//Tezuka is ok. He is ok. Now I just need to get him to the hospital for a check-up.// Atobe told himself and tightened his grip on the phone.  
  
A golden hand reached out from the side and snapped the phone away from him.  
  
"Tezuka?" Atobe turned to see Tezuka trying to sit up. "Stay there! Didn't you know you almost died?"  
  
Tezuka looked pale but his eyes were sharp and coherent. "I'm not going to the hospital."  
  
"YOU NEED TO!" Atobe started yelling. This guy is unbelievable! He almost died just a minute ago and now he's refusing to go to the doctor?  
  
"I'm ok." Tezuka looked straight at him, "Don't make me repeat myself."  
  
The two men stared at each other without balking. Finally, it was Atobe who broke away from the eye contact.  
  
"Alright, we won't go to the hospital." Atobe agreed. "but YOU will go with me to a private clinic my uncle owned." Seeing Tezuka was about to protest, Atobe quickly continued, "Everything will be kept confidential. He won't say a word to anyone." Atobe understood the need for Tezuka to keep this private. "It's either that, or I will tell your parents EVERYTHING that happened, and let them take you to the hospital" Atobe added.  
  
Tezuka's eyes widened in anger. "You will not say anything to my parents."  
  
"No problem, my lips are sealed." Atobe answered, "Should we get going? Your parents might be coming home any minute now, and I don't want to slip anything to them ~accidentally~."  
  
"Are you trying to blackmail me?" Tezuka said in a dangerously low voice.  
  
"Not trying." Atobe 'smiled', "I am."  
  
X X X  
X  
  
Atobe reminded himself to remain a distance between Tezuka and himself as they walked out of the private hospital. The check out had taken less time than expected. He received assurance from his uncle that Tezuka was ok despite what happened. There was no internal bleedings or anything like that. Physically, Tezuka should heal in a week or two. But emotionally, the doctor let that trailed away. . .  
  
"It's only 8p.m.?" Atobe murmured. It seemed like such a long day today. He had already called Oishi and told him that he was 'misinformed'. Everything with Tezuka was fine.  
  
"How are you going to hide the bruises on your cheek, though?" Atobe asked, a little concern.  
  
Tezuka's fingers trailed over the bruises on his cheek and shrugged. "Fell off the stairs? Eichen used that once."  
  
Atobe realized Tezuka had closed himself off again. He didn't like it but knew not to push the man any further.  
  
"Just be careful, ok?" Atobe sighed, "Don't let them get too close or touch you. You know how you would react."  
  
Tezuka's lips thinned but didn't answer.  
  
"Hey, you got off school at 3p.m., right?" Atobe suddenly asked, "Do you stay for tennis practice?"  
  
"No," Tezuka looked away, "I can't practice with my left hand yet."  
  
Atobe silently scolded himself for bringing that up, but continued anyway, "OK then, I will see you at Seigaku's front gate at 3:10p.m. I will accompany you home."  
  
"You what?" Disbelief in Tezuka's tone. Then anger. "Do you think I'm incapable of looking after myself?"  
  
The fierce anger and hatred in the voice made Atobe took a step back. "No," Atobe answered quietly, "but . . . let me watch over you for a while at least. Please."  
  
Tezuka seemed a bit stunned by the sincerity in Atobe's voice. Then he insisted, "There's no need. I will be ok."  
  
"But I won't." came the unexpected answer from Atobe. "I won't be ok unless I see it with my own eyes that you're ok."  
  
The expression on Tezuka's face was unreadable. He didn't say a word and they walked silently home. 


	5. Chapter 5 Complete!

It's recess time at Seigaku. While all of the students were enjoying their lunch or chatting about their weekend, a small group of students gathered in an empty class room.  
  
"Tezuka said nothing happened," Oishi said, looking unconvinced, "Atobe said the same. But I can't help feeling something's off. Do you think something happen to Tezuka?"  
  
"Duh... That's obvious. Didn't you see the bruises on his chin?" Kikimaru exclaimed.  
  
"He seemed ok though. His movement is stiff, as if he is in pain every time he shifts. And he seemed to be more close off than usual," Momoshiro joined the conversation, "But other than that, he looks fine?"  
  
The other regulars looked at each other.  
  
"Do you think we should go ask him again?" Oishi asked anxiously, "to find out exactly what happened?"  
  
"I think we should leave the guy alone." Fuji suddenly said.  
  
"I agree!" Momoshiro nodded, "Remember when Ryoma was beaten last time? The kid kept insisting he fell from the stairs!"  
  
"Don't bring me into this." Ryoma grumbled.  
  
"Yeah, Tezuka and Ryoma are so much alike it's not funny! Tezuka probably just wanted to handle this by himself." Kikimaru nodded. "If Tezuka decided he wants to let us know, I'm sure he will tell us."  
  
"It would have been a good opportunity to gather good data though." Inui flipped his notebook, "Maybe we should be nosy. . ."  
  
"Leave the guy along, Inui!" Kikimaru laughed.  
  
"Ok. . . if that's what you guys think." Oishi said uncertainly. He couldn't help feeling the others were taking this too lightly. Still if all of them felt this way, then perhaps he shouldn't butt in on Tezuka. After all, Tezuka was an intensely private guy who preferred to keep things to himself.  
  
X X X  
  
Tezuka stared out of the window, not paying attention to what the teacher was teaching. For once, he couldn't care less about the lessons.  
  
His mind played back the encountered with Oishi and others earlier in the morning. He didn't think they believed him. But none of them forced the issue. He was glad for that.  
  
Now he only had Atobe to deal with. If only that guy would leave him alone as well. . .  
  
Tezuka's eyes narrowed slightly. He will be meeting Atobe later. The guy wanted to "walk him home". To protect him? Tezuka didn't know if he should laugh or cry. It's too late for that. Something inside of him shattered into pieces yesterday when he was . . .  
  
BANG!  
  
The whole class was shocked into complete silence, including the teacher. They looked at the tennis club buchou who just slammed his fists on the table.  
  
"Te. . . Te . . .Tezuka. . .?" The Math teacher swallowed hard. He was always nervous in front of this "perfect" student. "What. . . Is something wrong?" He quickly scanned through the Mathematics computation written on the board. The calculations seemed to be correct. . .  
  
Tezuka closed his eyes briefly, well aware that he was the center of attention. Forcing himself to calm down, "I apologized, sensei. Please continue."  
  
X X X X X  
  
It had been a month since the incident. Tezuka reminded himself. He preferred to completely wipe out the unpleasant memory, but as he was unable to do so, he settled for locking that memory away and simply referred to it as "that incident" when he did think about it inevitably.  
  
True to his word, Atobe had been accompanying him home everyday after school.  
  
It was very strange to say the least. In the past, the only other person whom he sometimes took the same train home was Oishi. He had never had anyone waiting for him after school and walked home together.  
  
Atobe had not mentioned a word about the incident since then. The guy would merely wait for him at Seigaku's side gate; an entrance that's seldom used by students. Tezuka was glad for that. Atobe wasn't exactly low profile. There would surely be rumors stirred up if Atobe had been seen waiting for him every single day.  
  
Approaching the gate, Tezuka raised his eyes slightly and saw the familiar figure waiting for him just outside.  
  
"Busy day?" Atobe asked good naturally when Tezuka reached the gate.  
  
"Nothing overwhelming." Tezuka shrugged.  
  
Atobe smiled. He joined the other by his side and started walking. As usual, he was the one doing most of the talking. He chatted about nothing in particular. Once in a while he received a comment or two from the quiet Seigaku Buchou.  
  
While talking about some new restaurants in town, Atobe stole a few glances from Tezuka.  
  
//He seemed to have lost some weight. Has he been eating properly?//  
  
He suddenly recalled the private conversations he held earlier with Tezuka's doctor (who also happened to be his uncle): "Your friend is strong, but the more he pretends to be ok, the harder it will be on him later. It will have to come out sooner or later. He had been hurt both physically and emotionally, it's not that easy to get past. He needed someone he could trust to pour out his hurt and healed from there."  
  
//I wish I'm that person for you, Tezuka.// Atobe thought sadly, knowing Tezuka probably didn't trust him as far as he can throw him.  
  
//Maybe I should tell Oishi or Fuji. They were Tezuka's teammate and seemed to be quite close to Tezuka.// The rational side of him analyzed. However, another side of him argued.  
  
//This might be my only chance to get Tezuka. Now I'm the ONLY person who knew, so I'm the ONLY one who can offer support. Support leads to trust. Trust leads to friendship. Friendship leads to Love.// Atobe thought selfishly.  
  
//I'm sorry Tezuka. It might not be best for you, but . . . I will use whatever means necessary to make you mine. //  
  
Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't even realize Tezuka was talking to him.  
  
"Are you ok? You seemed to have zoned out for a minute there."  
  
"I'm fine." Atobe smiled, but his cell phone rang before he could continue.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Atobe answered the phone and looked at Tezuka.  
  
"We have him."  
  
Slightly puzzled, Tezuka asked, "Who?"  
  
"The person who hurt you."  
  
X X X X X  
  
"Ahhhh~~~~ No~~~~"  
  
Screams of agony could be heard far outside of an old abandoned warehouse.  
  
Tezuka stopped dead in his track.  
  
"You don't have to come if you don't want to." Atobe looked at Tezuka. The other guy was paled but his hands were curled into fists; there was a gleam of madness burning in the slanted eyes behind the glasses. Without uttering a word, Tezuka walked towards the warehouse.  
  
Two men in black suits were standing guard in front of the warehouse.  
  
"Atobe-sama," They greeted and opened the door. Tezuka rushed in, with Atobe closely behind.  
  
There were about 10 to 15 men inside. All of them bowed when Atobe came in. One of them pointed towards the corner, "We have found the men you were looking for."  
  
"Tereda." Atobe looked at one of the tied men. The youth looked up at the mention of his name with a fearful expression and curled into a tighter ball; there was blood on his face and shirt. Turning towards Tezuka who had gone completely expressionless, Atobe said, "Looks like he had been 'worked through' quite thoroughly."  
  
"That's not good enough." The deep voice uttered those cold words.  
  
Tezuka walked straight towards the trembling human ball.  
  
Picking up a iron bar on the floor, Tezuka aimed for Tereda's head. Powerful enough to kill.  
  
"Stopped it, Tezuka!" Atobe was stunned at the violent outburst. He grabbed Tezuka's wrist before the iron bar connected. "You're going to crush his skull!"  
  
"So?" Tezuka struggled against the hold; his mind driven half-mad as he was completely blinded with fury and hatred. When he wasn't able to get out of Atobe's grip, he started kicking the youth on the floor. He got a few good kicks at the stomach before Atobe forcefully pulled him away.  
  
"This is not you, Tezuka!"  
  
"What do you know about me?" Tezuka spitted those words out like venom, "I want revenge. He deserves to die!"  
  
The warehouse was silence except for the terrifying sobs coming from Tereda. "OK, if that's what you want." Atobe turned to one of the guy standing beside him, "Give me a gun."  
  
"Atobe-sama, are you sure?" The yakuza hesitated.  
  
"Give it to me," Without looking at Tezuka, Atobe continued, "I will kill him for you, Tezuka. I don't want YOU to turn into a murderer. He is not worth that."  
  
Pointing the gun at the whimpering youth, Atobe prepared to pull the trigger.  
  
"Wait." Tezuka closed his eyes tiredly; his energy drained, "He deserves to die . . . but he is not worth turning you into a murderer either. . . Atobe. . ."  
  
X X X X X  
  
"Now that Tereda and the others had been 'taught the lesson', I guess I don't have any excuse to accompany you home everyday now, do I?"  
  
Outside of Tezuka's house, Atobe asked with a smile.  
  
"I supposed. . ."  
  
Atobe's face was a careful mask of indifference, but his shoulders sagged visibly upon hearing the answer.  
  
"Can I ask you out sometimes?" Atobe abruptly blurted out.  
  
"Ask . . . me . . . out . . .?" Tezuka repeated, his voice too soft for Atobe to tell if he was repulsed by the idea or not.  
  
"Yeah," Atobe gave Tezuka a hopeful look, "Would you go out on a date with me?"  
  
Tezuka said nothing, but gazed up at him.  
  
"I . . . This might not be the best of timing. . . but I. . ." Atobe swallowed hard. He had never been so nervous in his life, "Ever since our match. I think . . . I might have fell in . . . fell something for you. I like you, Tezuka."  
  
There. He had said it. He's prepared for any response. . . anything . . .  
  
"I'm leaving for Germany on Friday."  
  
But that.  
  
Germany. Friday. Today is. . . Thursday? "Germany? You're going to Germany tomorrow? For what?" Atobe exclaimed.  
  
"For treatment of my arm." Tezuka answered, "And to get away. From all that happened here."  
  
"For how long?"  
  
"Could be half a year, could be longer than that."  
  
"You didn't even tell me?" Atobe gave a humorless laugh. "We walked home together everyday and you didn't even mention it to me that you're leaving for Germany?"  
  
//Face it. You're nobody to him.// Sad, but true.  
  
Giving himself over to impulse, Atobe swung both of his arms over Tezuka, bringing him into a tight hug. He felt Tezuka tensed for a second and then surprisingly relaxed in his embrace.  
  
"Just let me hold you for a moment." Atobe whispered hoarsely, "I like you. Tezuka. I like you so much. If only you will give me a chance. One chance. . . to be together. . ." Atobe's fingers twirled in Tezuka's soft hair. "Just once, can I kiss you?"  
  
A hand pushed against his chest, steadily applying pressure to separate them.  
  
Releasing Tezuka at last, Atobe sighed, "I guess I know your answer. "  
  
"49 30-201256"  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"That's my contact number at Germany." Tezuka explained. "You may . . . call me, if you want to."  
  
Atobe was quiet for a moment, then he broke into a smile.  
  
"Hn.. . ." Carrying himself in his usual composed, confident way, Atobe raised an eyebrow, "Does that mean you accept my 'courting'?"  
  
"You can say that." Tezuka answered levelly. "As for your question earlier, shouldn't that happen after a relationship has developed?"  
  
"My question earlier?" Then Atobe remembered. His smile widened into a grin, "Hopefully by the time I see you next time, we will be at that stage." Atobe's finger touched lightly against the other's lips.  
  
"You know, I think I will be taking a vacation to Germany soon. . ." Waving a goodbye, Atobe muttered, "Thanks for taking a chance on me . . ."  
  
END 


End file.
